Friday, November 29, 2013

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but my feeling of thankfulness remains abundantly present. I decided to take a break this week and focus on my family, hence no blog post since Monday. My mother has been sick, so we traveled a day early to the family cabin, so that I could do things my mom usually does to prepare for the Thanksgiving gathering. Our cabin is only 5 years old, but it feels as though we have always had it. It's only about 10 minutes from my parent's house, but it has become a favorite gathering place for our family especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I went a day early to the cabin, so I could make the flower arrangements and prepare some of the food.

I wanted to share some pictures of our day with you. {click to continue reading….}

Monday, November 25, 2013

Christmas is coming early this year! The upcoming issue of the December/January 2014 House Beautiful hits the newsstands tomorrow! I feel like a child waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve! It will feature my friend and fellow designer, Scot Meacham Wood's beautiful San Francisco home. I featured Scot last May on my Fabulous Friends on Friday series when he participated in the Peninsula Volunteers Decorator Showhouse.

I have always had a love affair with the color pink, but generally gravitated towards bright bold pinks like fuchsia and magenta. In the past few years, soft pinks have become en vogue in home decor. I have grown to love those soft, "greyed down powdery pinks". Soft pink add glamour and evokes emotion in a room, without overpowering it. A subtle nod to flesh or skin tones, soft pink can easily replace white or beige and add a more interesting backdrop to art work or fabrics. So what is the secret to choosing a sophisticated soft pink worthy of adult spaces? Pink makes a statement all on it's own. Unless your goal is to have a bright "palm beach" influenced room, choose ethereal pinks that provide a wisp of color and suggest pink subtly. Recently, I was looking for a soft pink for a project and discovered some really beautiful ones.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Only a few more days til Thanksgiving. Our family Thanksgiving meal is always at my parent's cabin. This year we are having a family photo shoot right after our meal. It's quite a fete to plan a photo shoot with 47 people. (yes, I have a very large immediate family.) The photo shoot will be interesting with that many people and several who happen to be under the age of 5. First of all, we had to decide what 47 people would wear. If you are doing a photo shoot for a family of 6, it's ok for everyone to wear jeans and a white shirt, but when you put 47 people in a photo dressed that way it begins to look like a cult or corporate photo not a family. My niece who is a professional photographer created a Pinterest board with outfit ideas. It really helped to see various outfit options. We decided to go with a palette of denim, navy, cream and warm neutrals. Hopefully everyone got the memo. I might give you a sneak peek(on instagram) on Thanksgiving but first I have the task of getting our decorations and food organized for our meal. Everyone is pitching in to prepare the meal.

What are you doing for Thanksgiving? Are you cooking or visiting in someone else's home?

If you are having guests are you ready? Have you planned your table? If you are like me and do things last minute, hopefully, this post will save you a little time and give you a few ideas to expedite your decorations. [click title to continue…]

Today happens to be the birthday of a very special man, Ted Kennedy Watson. I can't remember exactly when I first met Ted, but I feel as though I have known him forever. His warm, gentle style is reminiscent of another era, when people were kind, considerate and well mannered. He doesn't live life in the fast lane, but chooses to savor every moment of his day. That's not to say this man isn't busy. He runs the incredibly, amazing store Watson Kennedy in Seattle, Washington. Watson Kennedy has become an industry icon for destination shopping for those in the know. Ted opened his first Watson Kennedy Fine Living, on his 35th birthday in 1998, so if you do the math you can quickly surmise this is a big birthday Ted is celebrating.

Ted's store is an extension of the well curated life he has created for himself. When I saw him at Design Blogger's Conference last March in Los Angeles, he gave out precious little goodie bags to his friends. Let me tell you, that was the best little treat bag anyone has ever given me! Ted knew exactly what was needed to make my trip special. Ted will personally choose and ship gifts from Watson Kennedy for anyone on your list during the holidays and year round. I can attest that whatever anyone receives from Watson Kennedy will be treasured. Ted carefully choses the lines he carries in his shop, so every gift from Watson Kennedy is a thoughtful gift! Visit his website and see all the fabulous things he has curated for your shopping pleasure. I must tell you the best way to shop with Watson Kennedy is to simply give Ted a price range and let him chose something for you.

I'm not the only one who thinks Ted has a gift for living a beautiful life. He has a new book coming out in May 2014! I can't wait. He has already promised me a copy! Put it on your calendar as a "don't miss" event!!! It will be fabulous like the author!

Happy Birthday dear Ted!!! I hope your day has been filled with as many blessings as your presence gives all of us!!!

Happy, Happy Birthday!!!

Love to you Ted on this special day!

If you want to be wowed by beauty follow Ted's daily musings on instagram here. If you want to read about his beautiful life make sure to sign up for his blog. You will fall in love with the way he looks at life,I promise!

Also, if you need gifts for the holidays Ted is the man to call!!!Why stand in line at the post office when you can pick up the phone and call Ted? He will wrap and ship the perfect gift to those hard to buy for people on your list.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Ron Fiore and his team at Bernhardt blew it out of the water again this market. Since Ron's appointment two years ago as VP of Residential Creative Design, Bernhardt has produced stunning furniture which would rally any in the industry. This market was no exception. If you haven't checked out Bernhardt lately, I hope you enjoy seeing these vignettes of beautiful furniture for the first time. [click header if you want to see more….]

Thursday, November 21, 2013

gives insight to the true essence of the person. I had not ever given this much thought until recently when I saw the quote above. When I was a child I adored coloring. I remember one Easter, my basket from the Easter Bunny was filled with art supplies and honestly, it is the only Easter Basket I remember. My mother later told me she made a quick trip to the local drug store to pick up the contents. In our small town there weren't that many places to shop. Just goes to show, it doesn't matter what you give to someone as long as you know the person well enough. I spent hours painting, drawing and creating with those art supplies. My favorite crayon was the magenta! I can remember when it became a nub thinking how great it would be to be able to just buy the "replacement color" because it bothered me that the nub make my box look ugly! Science may be onto something because I still love magenta, fuchsia and anything close to that color. What was your favorite crayon as a child? Is it still a favorite color today? Did you like to color?

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Last year, I had the opportunity to attend Tobi Fairley's Get Published Camp and it was simply amazing! I highly recommend it to anyone wanting the inside scoop on how to get published! This year Tobi has doubled the fun and combined her Social Media Strategies Camp with the Get Published Camp. This is huge! To get two of her informative camps all in one three day period is unbelievable!

Sunday, November 17, 2013

I started this little act of gratitude last week, because I want to thank those that have a hand in sending a little love my way. Thanks guys!!! oxoxo!!! Make sure you visit these blogs, if you don't follow them already! I promise you will fall instantly in love! Not only are these great blogs, but all five are fabulous people as well! You guys rock!

forward this to a friendDON'T SEE THE IMAGE?see our coupon on this web page (click here)I don't know if you remember the blog post I did about iomoi but they have fab gifts for the holidays! I got the most amazing phone cover from here which I get compliments on daily! Great place to buy teacher gifts, neighbor gifts and stocking stuffers. Check it out!

Today is the absolute LAST DAY TO VOTE!!

in the LampsPlus Contest! Please take a second and click on the link to vote! Really only a second!!!

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

off my new Wednesday Series "Words from the Pros." I first heard Barry speak couple of years ago and was in awe of how he speaks with such passion about his work. I could listen to him talk about design all day. Most recently I had the pleasure of seeing Barry at High Point Market, when debuting new products in his line with Arteriors. Barry is such

a busy designer, I really appreciate how gracious he is to answer my

questions. Thank You Barry!

Words of Wisdom:"Design for the world the home inhabits, what it sees

through its window's eyes. A penthouse in Manhattan, a farm in Virginia,

a cliffside aerie in Wyoming or a home on the sand in the Caribbean all

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Visiting the Marches` aux Puches de Saint Ouen, which is considered the largest antiques market in the world, was one of the highlight of my Parisian travels with Design Trust in September. To visit the Parisian fleas, has been a dream of mine for many years. I must say I wasn't disappointed and would return on a dime, if asked. Steve Nobel, the head of Design Trust and organizer of our trip made sure we didn't miss out on the true market experience. It was a wonderful day spent with good friends, who happen to be designers with an appreciation for antiques and adventure.

"Les Puces" or "The Fleas" as known by the locals is located on the northern edge of Montmartre. I was a little confused about the French fleas,prior to my trip. Fellow designers had attended, but no one had ever really explained the layout to me. I had been online and read about the market, but still didn't quite realize there are actually fifteen individual markets and over three thousand stalls in this half mile radius along the Porte de Clingnancourt metro station. In other words, the market area is massive, which means you'd better know where you are going or be prepared to just wander around and enjoy the day without an agenda. Luckily for us, Steve knew just where to take us. We arrived private bus to Marché Paul Bert. The minute we exited the bus, our group was ready to explore. We were given the lay of the land and

told if any of us decided to strike out on our own we were to meet up at lunch at the Bistro Paul Bert. We began our excursion by meandering in and out of the shops along the street. It was like dipping our toes into the perverbial "market pool of antiques". There was a combinations of street dealers and those with actual stand alone shops. It was intriguing to see what each had to offer. This is an area of fine antiques found on blankets spread on the sidewalk and beautiful trinkets casually thrown in boxes. You keep your eyes peeled because it would be a mistake to overlook anything or anyone. Your perfect treasure could be lurking around the next corner hidden amongst things disguised as attic finds.

It's a place for the person who truly enjoys the "thrill of the the hunt." If you are that kind of person the Paris fleas are utopia. It's really hard to take it all in. I think I could have spent three days just at the fleas, unfortunately our trip only allowed for one day, so we had to shop fast and furiously.

One of the first stops we made was to Quintessence Playground owned by Ludovic Messager. Lucovic's business card listed him as an interior design and antiques dealer, but I would also add artist to the list. His artist ability was evidence around the shop. The shop is a combination of antiques, curiosities and whatnots. As we talked with Ludovic, we learned that he was instrumental in helping Restoration Hardware create the look that has dominated their stores for the past few years. Take a look at my photographs,I think you will see familiar concepts.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Grays have always been a favorite for exteriors, over the past several years gray has become very popular in interior design as well. From Light grays to dark grays and everything in-between, grays has been used across the gambit. I have used grays a good bit over the past couple of years in projects and I must say the gray that gives the most bang for the buck is charcoal gray. I'm in love with charcoal gray. It offers a softer contrast than black, but like black it serves as a neutral and plays well with many color combinations.

Recently, when Traci Zeller and I designed Hamp Adam's Gentleman's Dressing Room in the Traditional HomeAdamsleigh Show House, we chose "Stout" by C2 Paints. C2 Paints graciously served as sponsors for the show house. We had the option of using their paint which was donated or buying our own. Naturally, when doing a show house, you opt for any sponsored products, even if you aren't familiar with the line. When the paint arrived it was a tad bit bluer, than we had anticipated, but since there wasn't a C2 distributer locally, we only had the small chip on the fan deck to rely on so the color wasn't exactly what we wanted. Boy were we kicking ourselves, when we realized that several of the other designers, had chosen paint colors from familiar lines and simply had C2 reformulate in their product line. Oh well, live and learn. All's well that ends well though, right? We corrected our issue by having the local paint store add more black to the "stout" color and achieved the perfect charcoal color we needed for our room. I must say that C2 Paint is really great paint! It goes on smoothly and covers well. So favorite charcoal #1 is C2 Paint. Just remember you may have to add a little black to if it looks a little bluer than you want. In many applications the blue undertone can be nice.